There’s a word for everything in German – it’s because you can simply describe something and join up all the words. Or, you think about a particular feeling or set of circumstances and attribute it to something tangible to make a word. Examples include Kummerspeck, Frühlingsgefühle, and Geborgenheit.

I mention the interesting words because one of my favourites (as a word and a concept) is Kunstkammer, which translates as a ‘cabinet of curiosities’. These cabinets have a long history, and were essentially collections of ‘curious items from home or abroad’, usually with a nature focus (obviously collecting bits of nature for personal viewing is frowned upon these days!). When I lived in Germany, my host family had a small Kunstkammer in their house, but I didn’t come across another one until I met a woman twenty years ago who had been a vet – her cabinet filled a whole wall and was carefully curated – it was amazing to look at. Continue reading →